Carton loading and unloading device



Jan. 19, 1960 E. J. GROSS CARTON LOADING AND UNLOADING DEVICE 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed NOV. 16, 1956 FIGI FIG. 2

INVENTOR. ELMER J. GROSS Jan.1 9, 1960 CARTON LOADING AND UNLOADINGDEVICE k I l I... I

INVENTOR: v ELMER J. GROSS I7 I BY .ATT'YS United States Patento1,921,702 CARTON LOADING AND UNLoAmNG DEVICE Elmer J. Gross, Chicago,Ill, assignor to O S Products, Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation ofIlhnors Application November 16, 1956, Serial No. 622,676

3 Claims. (Cl; 2 14310) This invention relates to carton-loading andunloading devices.

There are many types of carton which are packed w1th several layers ofrelatively small articles generally sepa- 'rated by horizontal removabledivider elements and often retained out of direct contact bycompartmental partitions. For example, eggs are packed in partitionsbetween successive horizontal dividers.

Where such cartons have considerable depth, the loading and unloading ofthese successive layers of articles presents quite a labor problemincident to placing and/ or removing the lowermost layers of articles.On such occasions one has to reach down into the carton, often with bothhands, to carefully place and/or to remove those lowermost layers ofarticles.

The main objects of this invention, therefore, are to provide animproved form of device adapted for association with a carton so as tomakev possible the placing and removing of each successive layer ofarticles at the open top of the carton; to provide an improvedload-adjusting device of this kind upon which the carton may bepositioned and a reciprocable member manually controlled to permita'step-by-step lowering and/or raising thereof to dispose the supportfor each successive layer of articles adjacent the open top of thecarton; to provide an improved load-adjusting device of this kindadapted to support thereon within a carton the lowermost removableelement and permit its step-by-step lowering and/ or raising withrespect to the carton open top; to provide an improved carton-loadingdevice of this kind the opposite step-by-step movement of which may bemanually controlled by the carton packer standing alongside the carton;to provide an improved device of this kind which is so simple inconstruction as to make its manufacture very economical and itsoperation most effective with practically no incident of failure orrepair; and to provide an improved carton-loading and -unloading deviceof this kind which is especially adaptable for use with egg cartons.

One specific embodiment of this invention is shown in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view showing, in use with an egg-carton, aloading and unloading device constructedin accordance with thisinvention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical, sectional elevation of the device;

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective of the device;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the motor-driven sprocket and chainmeans whereby a load-supporting platform is raised and lowered; and

Fig. 5 is a reduced, bottom perspective of a carton showing the onlymodification thereof required to make it adaptable for use with thisimproved carton-loading and -unloading device.

The essential concept of this invention involves a motor-driven,vertically reciprocable member having parts thereof extendable throughthe bottom of a carton to support'a horizontally-disposed andvertically-shiftable portion of the carton.

Patented Jan. 19, race The housing 6 here is shown of rectangular form,

extending upwardly from a base 13 and having a cartonsupporting platform14 at the top with one side of the housing formed of three separateremovable panels 15, 16 and 17 to permit access to the interior of thehousing. The base 13 extends beyond the two sides 18 and 19 to provideflanges 21 formed with apertures 22 permitting the use of screws 23 foranchoring the device to a floor.

The carton-supporting platform 14 comprises a housing top plate 24extending beyond the sides 18 and 19 and mounting laterally-disposedangle-bar guide rails 23 at theforward ends of which is journaled aroller 27. The spacing and length of the rails 26 willdepend upon thecharacter of the carton wherewith this device is to be used. Fig. 1shows the device'in use with an egg carton C. For such a carton thespacing of the rails 26 is substantially that of the width of theconventional egg c'arton'C. The length of the rails 26, 'rear-' wardlyof the roller 27, is slightly greater than half the length of a doublecompartment carton C. The roller 27 makes for easy movement of theloaded carton C onto and 01f from the platform 14.

The height of the housing platform, above the floor, also is determinedby the character of the carton wherewith the device is to be used. Theoptimum height should be such as to dispose the open top of the carton Cjust below the elbow line of a person of average height. This willpermit the placing in and/or removing of articles from the carton withthe hands and fore-arms of the packer nearly horizontal, as indicated inFig. l.

The housing sides 18 and 19 are formed with flanges 20 to which thepanels 15, 16 and 17 are removably attached by suitable screws 25, inthe manner clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 3. a

The load-adjusting member 7 comprises aplate 28 mounting a plurality ofparts 29 secured at the upper end of a tube 31 which is slidablysupported on a shaft 32.

The plate 28 is of rectangular form to slidingly fit within the housing6. At its front edge the plate 28 is recessed at 33 to receive an offset34 on the panel 15.

The posts 29 here are shown anchored at the four corners of the plate 28and extend up through holes in the housing top plate 24 for movementinto the carton C as presently will be explained more fully.

The tube 31 is bonded at its upper end centrally of the plate 28 and isslidably supported on the shaft 32 which is secured at its opposite endsto the housing base 13 and the plate 24, respectively. At its lower end,the tube 31 mounts a transversely-disposed guideway 36 to receive aroller 37 on the chain and sprocket drive 8, whereby the oppositereciprocal movement of the plate 24 is eifected, as will appear morefully hereinafter.

The chain and sprocket drive 8, for reciprocating the plate 28,comprises a pair of sprockets 38 and 39 journaled in vertical spacedrelationship on the back of the panel offset 34 and around which travela chain 41. The chain 41 mounts the roller 37 which is slidably seatedin the guideway 36 on the tube 31.

I The motor 9 is of the conventional reversible type and is mounted onthe outside of the panel oifset 34. Its shaft is connected to the uppersprocket 38 through suitable reduction gearing (not shown). From themotor 9 run the usual power leads 42 to the switches 11 and 12 and thereceptacle plug 43. I V r I The switchll (Figs. 2 and 4) is aconventioiral microswitch. It is positioned on the panel offset 34 so asto dispose its trip arm 44 in position to be contacted by the plate 28in its lowermost position and thereby automatically stop the motor 9from further operation.

The switch 12, here is shown as a foot-actuated switch, hencepositionable on the floor adjacent to the device so as to be depressedby the foot of the one packing or unpacking a carton C. A comparableswitch might be located at some other place, to be depressed by someother'part of. the packers body than the foot.

The switch 12 is a dual unit, having two separatelyoperable foot treads46 and 47 for effecting opposite rotations of the reversible motor 9 torespectively lower and .raise the load-adjusting member 7. p

.A type of carton C, for use with which this loading and unloadingdevice has been especially designed, could be one of severalconventional cartons or crates. Such cartons would be used for packingseveral layers of small articles between horizontal elements, such asdividers,

and quite generally with the articles of each layer separated from eachother by partitions resting on the dividers. v v

The type of carton C with which this device will find most extended, ifnot universal, use is the egg carton or crate. As shown in Fig. l, theeggs are placedincompartmented partitions P resting on dividers D. Tomake any kind of carton of this type available for use withthis loadingand unloading device, the, bottom of the carton would have to bemodified only to the extent of forming holes in the bottom (Fig. 5) toregister with the posts 29, when the carton C is properly placed on thecarton, platform 14 between the rails 26 and against the roller 27.

I The operation of this improved carton-loading and -unloading device isas follows:

When a carton C is to berloaded, the switch tread 46 is depressed to sooperate the motor 9 as will insure the plate 28 beingat its lowermostposition; Upon reaching such a position, the plate 28 will engage anddepress the arm 44 of the microswitch 11 and stop the motor 9. The posts29 will then be retracted so that their upper ends will be below theplane of the horizontal parts of the guide rails 26. 7

An empty carton and the switch tread 47 is depressed to put the motor 9in operation long enough to elevate the plate 28 to its uppermostposition. This will dispose the upperends of the posts 29 a shortdistance below the open top of the carton C. A divider D is then placedin the carton C to rest on the upper ends of the posts 29. A packer maythen place the requisite number of articles on the divider D. p p

When these articles of such a nature-as, for example, eggsthat theyrequire separation from each other, a sectional partition P is firstplaced on the divider D and thearticles placed in the compartments ofthe partition P.

When thefull quota of articles is placed on what is to be the bottomlayer of divider-supported articles in the carton C, the packer steps onthe foot tread 46 of the switch '12 for such length of time as will runthe motor 9 to lower the plate 28 a distance equal to the height of thefirst layer of articles placed on a divider D. A second divider Dis thenplaced on top of this initially-positioned layer of articles and thesecond layer of articles are placed thereon. a

This sequence of operations is repeated until the topmost layer ofarticles has been placed in the carton C. Thereupon the carton may beremoved fromthe platform 14 and replaced by another empty one.

When it is desired to unload a packed carton. C, the foot tread 46 ofthe switch 12 is depressed/to insuretne operation of the motor 9 to movethe plate 28 to. its

C is then placed on the platform 14.

4 a i The carton is opened and the topmost layer of articles is removed.The operator then depresses the foot tread 47 of the switch 12 longenough to operate the motor 9 to elevate the stack of goods in thecarton to bring the second layer of articles up adjacent to the open topof the carton. The first divider D is removed and the second layer ofarticles taken out. of the carton C.

This sequence is repeated until the bottom layer has been elevated tothe top of the carton andthe articles thereon removed.

Although but one specific embodiment of this invention is herein shownand described, it will be understood that numerous details of theconstruction shown may be altered or omitted without departingfrom thespirit of the invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

l. A device for manually alternating the raising and lowering of avertically-shiftable carton-bottom. for positioning at selective levelswithin the car-ton to permit placement or removal of successive layersof articles adjacent the upwardly open top of the carton, the devicecomprising, a housing adapted to support a carton in position to affordaccess to the open-top by an operator standing adjacent the housing, amember reciprocably mounted in the housing below the. carton, meansonthe member for contacting the vertically-shiftablecarton-bottom,.motor-driven means connected to reciprocate the member,and a manually-operable switch mechanism positioned for actuation by theoperators foot for controlling the motor to effect a raising or loweringof the member to selectively position the carton-bottom at successivelevels within the carton to dispose a tier of articles horizontallyadjacent the upwardly open top of the carton.

2. A device for manually alternating the raising and lowering of avertically-shiftable carton-bottom for positioning at selective levelswithin the carton to permit placement or removal of successive layersofarticles adjacent the upwardly open top of the carton, the devicecomprising, a closed-top and -bottom housing of rectangular crosssection, guide rails for positioning a carton on the housing top inposition to afford access to.the open top by the operator standingadjacent the housing, a centrally-disposed shaft spanning and secured tothe housing top and bottom, a tubular element reciprocably supported onthe shaft, a platform member secured to the upper end of the element,posts on the platform member extending through the housing top tocontact the vertically-shiftable carton-bottom, motor-driven meansconnected to reciprocate the tubular member to'efiect the raising orlowering of the member to selectively position the carton-bottom atsuccessive levels within the carton to dispose consecutive tiers ofarticles horizontally adjacent the open top of the carton, and amanually-operable switch mechanism positioned for actuation by theoperators foot for controlling the motor to effect a raising or loweringof the member to selectively position the carton-bottom at successivelevels within the carton to dispose each successive tier of articleshorizontally adjacent the open top of the upwardly open carton.

3. A device for manually alternating the raising and lowering of avertically-shiftable carton-bottom for positioning at selective levelswithin the carton to permit placement or removal of successive layers ofarticles'adjacent the open top of the carton, the device comprising, acarton-supporting housing of rectangular U-shaped cross sectionhavinginwardly-disposed flanges along the edges 'of the parallel sidesthereof, top and bottom-plates closing the opposite ends of the U-shapedhousing, a motor-mounting panel of rectangular U-shape cross sectionhaving outwardly-disposed flanges along the edges of. the parallel sidesthereof, theU-shaped panel being formed to fit in the open side of theU-shaped housing with the panel flanges superimposed on and fastened tothe U-shaped housing flanges, a centrally-disposed shaft spanning andsecured to the top and bottom plates, a tubular element reciprocablysupported on the shaft, a platform member secured to the upper end ofthe element, posts on the platform member extending through the housingtop to contact the vertically-shiftable cartonbottom, a motor mounted athe upper end of the U-shaped panel between the parallel sides thereofso as to extend outwardly of the housing, vertically-spaced sprocketsjournaled on the U-shaped panel on the side opposite the motor, one ofwhich sprockets being connected to the motor shaft, a sprocket chaintraversing the sprockets, a roller on the sprocket chain, a guide-way onthe tubular element engaged by the roller to reciprocate the platformmember, an auxiliary panel positioned across the open side of theU-shaped housing member above the motor, a second panel positionedacross the open side of the U-shaped panel below the motor, and amanuallyti operable switch mechanism connected to control the motor toeffect a raising or lowering of the platform memher to selectivelyposition the carton-bottom at successive levels Within the carton todispose consecutive tiers of articles horizontally adjacent the open topof the carton.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,434,587 Broadley Nov. 7, 1922 1,735,042 Gillespie Nov. 12, 19292,362,853 Spiller et al Nov. 14, 1944 2,595,015 Sparks Apr. 29, 1952FOREIGN PATENTS 505,543 Great Britain May 12, 1939 1,052,392 FranceSept. 23, 1953

